Q&A with Dr. David Yonick of Yonick Plastic Surgery

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Board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, Dr. David Yonick is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon serving the Great Lakes Bay Region. At Yonick Plastic Surgery, Dr. Yonick performs surgical and nonsurgical procedures to enhance and restore the face, breast, body and skin. Dr. Yonick was recently recognized as the top cosmetic surgeon in the area by Great Lakes Bay Magazine for his experience and excellent patient care.

Q: Dr. Yonick, thank you for joining us! Can you please tell us more about Yonick Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Center, and how you got started?Dr. David Yonick of Yonick Plastic Surgery.

A: Thank you for having me! Yonick Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Center is a family-owned practice. With my business partner and wife Karen, who is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, we opened our own medical practice after moving to the Midland area in 2016.

Karen and I first met while I was in General Surgery at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. After completing General Surgery, I pursued advanced training in Plastic Surgery at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. In 2016, we moved from Louisville to Midland, as I grew up in Metro Detroit and Michigan has always been home to me. After working at McLaren Bay Region as an employed Plastic Surgeon for a year and half, we both realized that there was a huge need for Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region that we could better service in private practice.

At Yonick Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Center, we offer surgical and non-surgical procedures that enhance and improve the face, body, breast and skin. As an American Board of Plastic Surgery board certified surgeon, I have been selected as #1 Cosmetic Surgeon of the Year by Great Lakes Bay Magazine for the past two years.

Yonick is also at the forefront of breast cancer reconstruction. Each person that is diagnosed with breast cancer has a right to know all their reconstruction options. I work with great breast cancer teams at both MidMichigan Medical Center and McLaren Bay Region. Being an active member of both cancer programs has allowed me to provide reconstructive options locally to patients, who otherwise would have been forced to travel outside our community for treatment. In addition to treating patients with breast cancer, I also provide plastic and reconstructive procedures for patients with skin cancer including melanoma, complex wounds, hand injuries and traumatic injuries.

Q: Can you tell me what your average day looks like?

A: In medicine and especially surgery, there is truly no such thing as an average day. I am lucky to have an awesome business partner and friendly staff that work diligently to stay one step ahead of our day. However, we have all come accustomed to expecting the unexpected. On any given day, the unexpected emergency can always show up in either Midland or Bay City. Because of this, we have become proficient at adapting our day to meet the needs of our patients.

Q: What part of this job do you absolutely love?

A: The most rewarding part of our practice is seeing the look on the patient at the end of their treatment. It could be a patient looking to have a flatter stomach or a patient that has completed her breast cancer treatment and reconstruction. The patients always have that same look on their face. There is no way to truly describe it, except to say it is one of things that continues to drive me in my practice.

Q: Plastic surgery can be very controversial. What would you say to someone who is hesitant?

A: Plastic surgery, especially cosmetic or aesthetic surgery, can carry a stigma. A stigma that has been cultivated by Hollywood and coastal elites. Such a stigma can place additional pressure on someone trying to make a decision that could potentially alter their life. For that reason and many more, I would tell that person that plastic surgery is a personal decision very much like any elective procedure a person may choose. That person should feel they can have an open and honest conversation with their surgeon. I want my patients to feel comfortable, educated and a partner in their care. Ultimately, our patients should feel they are making the right choice for themselves and not feeling pressured into a procedure.

Q: Are there challenges that come with the position, and if so, what are they?

A: There are always challenges to running your own business and practicing medicine. The biggest challenge as a business owner is finding the balance between both “hats.” The practice of plastic surgery is always advancing and always changing. It is one of the reasons I was drawn to this field of medicine. It forces you to be constantly learning, constantly re-evaluating your outcomes and constantly striving for a better result.

Q: What kind of activities do you enjoy in your down time?

A: My favorite activities done in my time off are spending time with my family. With having four children, it keeps our lives pretty busy and always on the go. As a family, we love camping, hiking, biking and kayaking. We try to sneak in some travel here and there.

Q: If you had to pick your favorite thing about Midland, what would it be?

A: Having lived in larger cities, it continues to amaze me all things Midland has to offer. One would not expect to have the cultural offerings of the Midland Center for the Arts, Dow Gardens, the rail trail, Midland City Forest, and the list can go on and on. The sense of community not only in Midland itself, but the individual neighborhoods, is something special. We could not think of a better place to raise our family.